Mulled wine was not a holiday tradition of mine when I was growing up in Denver.

Honestly, I’d never heard of it and didn’t know what it was. But when I moved to London last year for school, I moved to a country where mulled wine is a ubiquitous holiday specialty.

I mean it’s everywhere in stores and people’s homes come December. And it mysteriously vanishes sometime after Christmas. I think most people buy it in stores, but I did a little research on how to make it and found out it’s actually incredibly easy. And making it at home gives you a little more control in balancing the taste.

It begins, of course, with wine. But it becomes magical when you add a myriad of spices and then let it all simmer on the stove. It becomes an amazing, warming and soothing concoction, perfect to sip on a cold winter’s night.

Here’s how to make it yourself to bring to a big holiday get together:

• 2 bottles of red wine
• 2 clementines or tangerines, sliced with peel
• 1 apple, sliced with peel
• 1 lemon, sliced with peel
• 2 star anise
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 whole cloves
• 2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into disks

A mulled wine recipe usually calls for a half cup of sugar too, but I’m not a fan of the sweetness and so I prefer to leave it out. To make, just place all the spices into a large pot with about half of one bottle of wine and bring to a boil. Let it boil on high for about five minutes. Don’t boil it on high with all the wine or you may burn off all the alcohol. Turn the heat down to a simmer and add the rest of the wine. Gently let it heat all the way through and then it’s ready! Turn off the heat and ladle it into mugs or wine glasses to serve, straining out any chunks of the citrus fruits and spices.

Cuddle up with your family and friends and enjoy!

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Author: Kathryn Muyskens

Editor: Travis May

Photo: Wikimedia Commons